ABBA

Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Björn Ulvaeus with their Henson-made likenesses at the touring exhibition ABBAWORLD in 2010.

Muppet birds singing "Take a Chance on Me".

ABBA is a Swedish pop music group formed in Stockholm in 1972. Comprised of Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida), Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog (Anna), the group topped the charts worldwide from 1972 to 1982.

References

The Last Video

Our Last Video Ever as The Last Video on DVD.

In 2004, the Jim Henson Company provided the puppets for ABBA's music video The Last Video, in which four small puppets (caricatures of the group members) try to get a recording contract in Stockholm in 1974 by playing a medley of some of the band's biggest hits.

The video was originally shot as Our Last Video Ever for the 2004 semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, thirty years after ABBA had won the contest. It was later released on DVD at the request of the former ABBA members, retitled The Last Video. A group of celebrities made small cameo appearances in the video, including each of the four group members and Cher.

Besides mentioning the Henson Company's achievements, the band's official website shares the following anecdote by writer/video director Calle Åstrand about the members' reaction to the puppets:

“

When Agnetha saw what her own doll looked like, she laughed and said, "I look like Miss Piggy!" She thought that was a lot of fun. And Frida was delighted when we showed her what we had filmed so far. The male half of the group was just as keen about this light-hearted approach. [1]

”

The DVD booklet lists the following credit: "ABBA dolls by Jim Henson Creature Shop Ltd." The same can be found in the on-screen credits, where the distinction between the terms "puppets" and "dolls" is lost in translation. (There is only one word for both in the Swedish language.)

The DVD also features a behind the scenes making-of featurette, showcasing the puppeteers and the Henson shoot crew at work.